Week 2 Answers

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School

Grand Canyon University *

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Course

500

Subject

Political Science

Date

Dec 6, 2023

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docx

Pages

2

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Topic 2: DQ 2: Compare and contrast the U.S. Constitution and the Arizona Constitution. Discuss three findings that account for the significant differences in length. Include at least one source to support your answer. The Arizona Constitution shares many similarities with the United States Constitution. Both constitutions establish a three-branch government system consisting of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Moreover, both constitutions ensure that fundamental human rights are protected for the people of Arizona and the United States. These basic rights include the right to a fair trial, freedom of speech, religion, and voting (Harriman, 2023). There is a significant difference between the length of the U.S. Constitution and state constitutions. The U.S. Constitution is concise and limited to 7,500 words and 27 formal amendments. However, state constitutions are often lengthy and frequently amended. For example, Arizona's Constitution is over 45,000 words long and has been amended 144 times, making it one of the longest state constitutions. This difference is because some citizens want to restrict the government's activities, so they add barriers to the Constitution. In contrast, the federal government needs express constitutional authorization before it can act. Additionally, interest groups use the Constitution to preserve their privileges. Because constitutions are harder to change than ordinary statutes, locking something into the constitution prevents legislators from easily interfering with matters of importance to these groups. Most state constitutions, including Arizona's, can be amended more easily than the U.S. Constitution (McClory, 2016). Harriman, G. (2023). Compare and contrast the U.S. Constitution and the Arizona constitution essay. Summaries & Essays . https://novelsummary.com/compare-and-contrast-the-u-s-constitution-and- the-arizona-constitution/ McClory, T. (2016). Understanding the Arizona constitution (2nd ed.). University of Arizona Press. Topic 2 DQ 1: Discuss the impact of the Progressive movement on the creation of the Arizona Constitution, including the declaration of rights, ballot initiatives, and recall of judges. Defend your position with examples from this week’s resources or other readings. The creation of the Arizona Constitution in 1910 was greatly influenced by the Progressive movement. Led by George W.P. Hunt, a group of progressive and labor-friendly Democrats shaped the document, making it highly progressive for its time. The values of the Progressive movement were reflected in the Arizona Constitution through provisions that aimed to enhance citizens' power. Examples include the initiative, which permitted voters to propose and adopt their own laws or constitutional amendments without the intervention of the legislature. Additionally, the referendum gave voters the chance to approve or reject measures passed by the legislature, while the recall allowed voters to remove officials from office before their terms expired. The Progressive movement also influenced the Declaration of Rights section (Article II) of the Arizona Constitution, which enshrines the rights of both citizens and the state. This section contains 37 provisions that describe independent freedoms and ensure that government is truly based on the consent of the governed (Berman, 2012). Berman, D. (2012, February 14). Centennial: Arizona's constitution and its progressive roots . ASU News. https://news.asu.edu/content/centennial-arizonas-constitution-and-its-progressive-roots
The article written by David Berman that explores the life and career of George W. P. Hunt, the first governor of Arizona. The article describes Hunt as a plainspoken, battling crusader who focused on a variety of targets, including corporate interests, the Arizona legislature, the courts, Republicans, members of his own political party, politicians from other states (especially California), and the federal government. With Hunt at the helm from 1910 to 1916, Arizona was in the mainstream of the Progressive reform movement that was sweeping the nation. Hunt sought to stem the power of large corporations, democratize the political system, defend the rights of working people, reform prisons to make them more humane, and to abolish the death penalty. He engaged in putting together what he saw as a model state government based on Progressive principles The first version of Article V, Section 1 in the Arizona State Constitution is titled "Executive Department." It provides details about the executive branch of the state government, including its composition and terms. According to this section, the executive department is made up of the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state treasurer, and superintendent of public instruction. They each serve a four-year term that starts on the first Monday of January after the regular general election. The individual with the highest number of votes for the office they are running for is elected. If two or more people have an equal and the highest number of votes, then the two houses of the legislature must elect one of them through a joint ballot during the next regular session. Arizona State Legislature. (2023). Arizona State Constitution. Article V, Section 1 Version 1. https://www.azleg.gov/viewDocument/?docName=https://www.azleg.gov/const/5/1.1.htm The Arizona Constitution grants the governor two distinct veto powers: a general power, which allows the veto of an entire bill on any subject, and a line-item power. The governor’s power to line-item veto certain provisions of the legislation is found in Article V, section 7 of the Arizona Constitution. This means that the governor can veto specific items or provisions within a bill without vetoing the entire bill. For example, on June 17, 2003, the governor line-item vetoed 35 provisions from several bills. In addition to these powers, Arizona residents also have the power to initiate legislation as either a state statute or a constitutional amendment and to repeal legislation via veto referendum. Signature requirements for these actions are based on the total number of votes cast for the governor in the preceding election (AZ Legislature, 2016). Arizona State Legislature. (2016, July 8). Gubernatorial line item veto authority. https://www.azleg.gov/briefs/senate/gubernatorial%20line%20item%20veto%20authority.htm
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